It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With New Politics of Extremism by Thomas E. Mann, Norman J. Ornstein
“It’s Even Worse Than It Looks" is an excellent book that clarifies clearly the source of dysfunctional politics in America and what will it take to change it. Most books do a very good job of describing what ills our political system but very few excel at providing sensible recommendations like this book does. The astute analysis provides recommendations that go from the practical to a political utopia. This first-rate 274-page book includes the following seven chapters: 1. The New Politics of Hostage Taking, 2. The Seeds of Dysfunction, 3. Beyond the Debt Ceiling Fiasco, 4. Bromides to Avoid, 5. Fixing the Party System, 6. Reforming U.S. Political Institutions, and 7. Navigating the Current System.
Positives:
1. Well-researched and well-written book that is accessible to the masses. The authors provide a credible and well substantiated case for their observations and conclusions.
2. The authors come from opposing political backgrounds that give the book credibility by reaching consensus on what is causing dysfunction in American politics.
3. It’s about getting to what more closely relates to reality than what is perceived to be fair and balanced. “We were told this part of our book was discussed in a number of newsrooms and provided ammunition to journalists often frustrated by the insistence of producers and editors that they give precedence to fairness and balance over reality and truth.”
4. An excellent and logical format. The first part of the book focuses on the problem while the second half on the solution.
5. An excellent Preface that captures the sentiment of this book best captured by the most enduring quote, “The Republican Party has become an insurgent outlier—ideologically extreme; contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime; scornful of compromise; unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence, and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.”
6. An interesting look book at recent political history. The authors do a wonderful job of capturing as accurately as possible the chain of events based on the best information they were able to obtain based on their expertise in political science.
7. Bold conclusions backed by supporting arguments. “Republicans greeted the new president with a unified strategy of opposing, obstructing, discrediting, and nullifying every one of his important initiatives.” “Never before have cosponsors of a major bill conspired to kill their own idea, in an almost Alice-in-Wonderland fashion. Why did they do so? Because President Barack Obama was for it, and its passage might gain him political credit.”
8. The two sources of dysfunction identified. “The first is the serious mismatch between the political parties, which have become as vehemently adversarial as parliamentary parties, and a governing system that, unlike a parliamentary democracy, makes it extremely difficult for majorities to act. Parliamentary-style parties in a separation-of-powers government are a formula for willful obstruction and policy irresolution.” “The second is the fact that, however awkward it may be for the traditional press and nonpartisan analysts to acknowledge, one of the two major parties, the Republican Party, has become an insurgent outlier…”
9. The rise of the “Young Guns” and the politics of uncompromising conservative politics. Many great examples of their influence, “But, as Mike Allen of Politico revealed at the time: A Senate Republican leadership aide e-mails with subject line ‘Gang of Six’: Background guidance: The President killed any chance of its success by 1) Embracing it. 2) Hailing the fact that it increases taxes. 3) Saying it mirrors his own plan.” Excellent stuff!
10. Points that cut to the chase. “Partisan polarization is undeniably the central and most problematic feature of contemporary American politics.”
11. Interesting observations. “Since the late 1970s, Republicans have moved much more sharply in a conservative direction than did Democrats in a liberal direction.”
12. Some mind-blowing facts. “On Memorial Day, 2002, during George W. Bush’s administration, thirteen nominations were pending on the executive calendar. Eight years later, under Obama, the number was 108.”
13. Sensible and fair recommendations, “Bringing the Republican Party back into the mainstream of American politics and policy and return to a more regular, problem-solving orientation for both parties would go a long way toward reducing the dysfunctionality of American politics.”
14. Interesting section on actions to avoid (bromides).
15. Three avenues of electoral reform. “The first is to moderate politics by expanding the electorate. The second is to reduce the presumed bias against moderate voters and candidates by altering how votes in the election are converted into seats in government. The third avenue of electoral reform seeks to break the polarizing dynamic of the parties through changes in campaign fund-raising and spending rules and practices.”
16. Interesting suggestions that resonate. “A better and stronger reform would be to require forty-one votes to continue the debate, not sixty votes to end the debate, putting the burden squarely on the minority where it belongs.”
17. The need to restore public shame, agreed. “The country needs the remaining (if dwindling) opinion leaders from institutions like the military, churches, universities, foundations, business, the media, and public life to outspokenly denounce those who profit from bombast and lies and to denounce equally the television and radio networks and the print outlets that give them airtime and web and print space, with the legitimacy that flows from them.”
18. The politics of dysfunction reaches the absurd. “In the debate over health reform, some ideas that had originally come from Republicans and conservatives were trashed simply because Obama and Democrats had embraced them.”
19. Includes an afterword that addresses the election of 2012 and its aftermath.
20. Links to notes.
Negatives:
1. The main message is repeated almost to a fault but you won’t leave with any doubts with what the authors are espousing here.
2. Failed to explain in detail how Parliamentary Politics works. I can reach conclusions based on context but the suggestion merited a separate appendix. It would have kept it from affecting the excellent flow of the book.
3. To my surprise the authors did not address the religious right aspect of the extreme right.
4. No formal bibliography.
In summary, this turned out to be one of my favorite political books of the year. It covers the subject of dysfunction in the government with mastery and it does so in a succinct and lucid fashion. I commend the authors for providing the public with a much needed book on such a divisive topic and for giving it the realistic treatment that it demanded. The authors provided many good practical suggestions; excellent work gentlemen. I highly recommend it!
Further suggestions: "When the Tea Party Came to Town: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives' Most Combative, Dysfunctional, and Infuriating Term in Modern History" by Robert Draper, “Rule and Ruin” by Geoffrey Kabaservice, “That’s Not What They Meant!” by Michael Austin, "The Crash of 2016: The Plot to Destroy America--and What We Can Do to Stop It" and "Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class - And What We Can Do about It)" by Thom Hartmann, “The Republican Brain” by Chris Mooney, “American Fascists” by Chris Hedges, “Blowing Smoke” by Michael Wolraich, "Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future" by Robert B. Reich, “Act of Congress” by Robert G. Kaiser, "War on the Middle Class" by Lou Dobbs, and "Winner-Take-All Politics" by Jacob S. Hacker & Paul Pierson.
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Reviews with images
Chilling, Highly Provocative - Yet On-Point and Timely
Being a Philippine citizen, it is horrifying to see the US - a bastion of democracy - descending into an authoritarian state wherein the GOP is hell-bent on doing whatever they want even if it brings great harm to the nation.At first, I thought that it's only a rare occurrence...yet watching the news only saw the GOP continuing to embrace this divisive, hatred and extremist rhetoric... especially during the era of Trump.I wholeheartedly agree with Mann and Ornstein's analysis, yet many will find this uncomfortable to accept; but it is the truth.My only concern for this book is that while it is still timely (and definitely worth recommending to others), the presidency of Trump (which the authors never envisioned) has only worsened the GOP to the point of being "beyond redemption" for me... which warrants another revision of this book.It is time that Mann and Ornstein should write another, revised and updated version of this scholarly work to take into account the Trump era. I wish that the US won't fall into the same path as authoritarian regimes and that its deeply dysfunctional politics can still be salvaged and redeemed towards the right path...but then again I must slowly accept the reality that I might be witnessing the decline and slow death of the US as a highly respected nation.Honestly, it is time that another party replace the GOP - a party that is moderate, pragmatic, and realistic in its political dealings (one that embraces compromise).Definitely worth reading, and highly recommended. If you want to understand US politics right now from an unbiased and objective standpoint, then read this book.
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